Accounting Standards and International Portfolio Holdings: Analysis of Cross-border Holdings Following Mandatory Adoption of IFRS

Abstract

Prior literature shows that investors under-invest in foreign firms due to information asymmetry problems. I posit that differences in local accounting standards are a source of the information asymmetry among investors. Using security-level holdings of international mutual funds, I find that harmonizing accounting standards (adoption of IFRS) increases foreign mutual fund holdings. Harmonizing accounting standards increases cross-border holdings 1) directly by reducing the information processing cost of foreign investors and 2) indirectly by reducing the effect of other barriers on cross-border investments such as geographic distance. Further analysis suggests that differences in the enforcement of the standards are sufficient to curb the benefits of accounting harmonization.

A merger deal of two Samsung group companies becomes a center of a corruption scandal. The merger of Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T was seen as a crucial step to transfer power to Lee Jae Yong, the heir of Samsung group. The deal was criticized to purposefully undervalue Samsung C&T’s stocks to transfer wealth to Lee at the expense of the shareholders. Elliott Management, a New York–based hedge fund, launches a campaign urging shareholders to vote against the merger. However, the National Pension Service (NPS)—a major shareholder of Samsung C&T—votes in favor of the deal. The case sheds light on the political ties between the government and the family controlled conglomerates in South Korea, which have powered the country’s economy for decades.

A merger deal of two Samsung group companies becomes a center of a corruption scandal. The merger of Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T was seen as a crucial step to transfer power to Lee Jae Yong, the heir of Samsung group. The deal was criticized to purposefully undervalue Samsung C&T’s stocks to transfer wealth to Lee at the expense of the shareholders. Elliott Management, a New York–based hedge fund, launches a campaign urging shareholders to vote against the merger. However, the National Pension Service (NPS)—a major shareholder of Samsung C&T—votes in favor of the deal. The case sheds light on the political ties between the government and the family controlled conglomerates in South Korea, which have powered the country’s economy for decades.